


Fickle Fate

by swiftpetals



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27650869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swiftpetals/pseuds/swiftpetals
Summary: In her mind, Sonic would always be her hero regardless of what the cards told her.“I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it.”She’d probably never be ready to hear it. He started to make a tactical retreat when she roughly pulled him back.“Oh come on, Shadow, whatever it is, I promise I’ll listen.”Shadow made the mistake of looking directly at her. She was a sweet bottle of sunshine, and in a moment of weakness, he dared to hope he could keep that sunshine in his life forever.“Amy, perhaps, the person you’re actually looking for is . . . me.”
Relationships: Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62





	Fickle Fate

###  **_Fickle Fate_ **

Shadow blasted every one of the doctor’s robots within his line of sight to smithereens, flashing in and out of existence in rapid succession as he struck them down with several well aimed Chaos Spears. Omega on the other hand didn’t even try to outmaneuver his opponents, relying on his durable frame and seemingly unlimited fire power to get the job done. He struck down a robot heading Shadow’s direction before the hedgehog could even summon a Chaos Spear.

“All style, no substance,” Omega decided, making Shadow roll his eyes.

“We can’t all pack as much firepower as you can.”

“Excuses.”

The automated factory had been on G.U.N's hit list for quite some time. By some miracle, Sonic hadn’t caught wind of it yet, and they finally had the chance to do some recon. He noticed Rouge coming back from her intel mission earlier than expected.

“Find anything?” 

Rouge swooped down, shaking her head.

“Nothing we didn’t already know.”

“No reason to hold back then.”

His friends immediately cleared the area, knowing better than to get close when he was literally about to blow, and it would have been the end of the story if an innocent pink hedgehog hadn’t appeared out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground.

“Shadow!”

“Rose, what are you doing here?”

Shadow forced the rampant Chaos Energy swirling inside him to disperse, still feeling flush. She’d never been one to shy away from physical contact, and it had nearly cost her. Amy was blissfully unaware of this, smiling brightly at him. 

“I was gonna ask you the same thing. Sonic was supposed to be here.”

Shadow’s ears subtly bent back. Of course, she was here for Sonic. What else did he expect?

“He’s not,” he said gruffly.

“Oh.” She started blushing. 

He didn’t see why. She’d been tackling him to the ground a lot lately. It’s not like he ever scolded her for it. At least, this time she tackled him on purpose. It clicked.

She’d happily tackled him to the ground as if he were . . . Rouge came to the exact same conclusion, a menacing gleam in her eyes.

“Why did you think he’d be here?”

“I-It’s not important. What are you guys doing here anyway?”

Hmm, it wasn’t like her to avoid the question. 

“Recon, answer the question please.” 

Somehow she turned even more red, scrambling off him.

“I don’t know what went wrong. I used to be so good at tracking him down, but lately, every time, I ask the cards to lead me to my true love. I end up finding you guys.”

Rouge and Shadow shared a look. Amy could be really dense sometimes. 

Before he could tactfully change the subject, Rouge dramatically stepped between them, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Shadow hissed under his breath. She wouldn’t. 

“Oh honey, deep down, I think you do know. The cards respond to your feelings, don’t they?”

Amy scrunched up her face in a cute way, pondering the question. Then, she looked down at her tarot cards and back up at them, visibly confused. 

“My true love is Team Dark?”

Shadow’s eye twitched, silently kicking himself for not spending enough time alone. He wasn’t about to correct her. This wasn’t a subject he wanted to discuss in front of Rouge.

To be honest, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to discuss it with Amy. 

Omega joined the fray, excitedly taking hold of Amy’s hand.

“We are very flattered. Would you like to commemorate the occasion by blowing up this Eggman base?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, completely mortified. What was it, embarrass Shadow day?

Amy took one look at his grumpy demeanor and shyly reclaimed her hand. 

“I appreciate the offer, but weren’t you trying to get info on Eggman?”

“No luck, I’m afraid. Doc’s gotten better at covering his tracks. We were actually just about to wreck the place when you got here,” Rouge said.

“Then, I’d be honored,” she said, summoning her hammer after a quick impromptu curtsy. She expertly twirled her hammer round and round, picking up momentum and easily lifting herself into the air like the magical angel she was. Then, with the fury of a mythical Valkyrie, she smashed the reinforced steel wall wide open so it resembled crumpled paper. 

Seriously, how could anyone run from that?

“Shadow, you’re staring,” Rouge said, elbowing him lightly.

“I’m not,” he said, hastily taking his eyes off Amy. That lasted about two seconds before he found himself drawn to her destructive fury. It wasn’t as efficient as a Chaos Blast, but he couldn’t say he minded right this minute. 

Shadow had honestly forgotten he was supposed to be helping.

“Hello, Earth to Shadow, are you just going to stand there and watch or was Omega right about you being lazy?” she teased. 

For once, he felt unbearably warm and glared at Omega. He’d had enough of the robot's smack talk. Playtime was over. He’d show her what he was really made of. 

Shadow was more than capable of pulling his weight. 

“Clear the area, I can take it from here.”

Her smile wavered as she completely misinterpreted his current mood. She held her hammer behind her back and looked down at her feet, nervously swaying back and forth. 

“Are you sure? I can still help you if you want.”

He was tempted to say yes, but Rouge led her away before he could make up his mind. Not that he blamed her, he’d nearly blown Rose to bits a few minutes ago 

“Trust me, honey, you don’t want to be anywhere near the blast radius when he goes off.” 

It finally dawned on her what he’d been up to when she’d rudely crashed into him. 

“Oh, I forget sometimes that he’s a literal ticking time bomb.” 

She put a hand over her mouth when she realized how that sounded. Shadow felt his cheeks burn. He could never seem to stay the hero in her eyes. 

“Not that I think you have anger issues, well, you do but-” Shadow had heard enough.

“It’s okay, Rose. I know what I am.”

If one of the most wonderful people in the world thought of him as a weapon, he might as well indulge in that thinking for a few more seconds.

“Shadow wait!” 

She tackled him to the ground again, and it took everything he had to keep the chaotic swirling energy from erupting to the surface. Shadow sighed, suddenly exhausted. She was going to be the death of him.

“Would you stop doing that? This is the second time I’ve almost killed you!” he snapped. 

Rose immediately got off him as if she’d been struck. He hated himself for making her upset. She was never supposed to see the worst version of himself out in the open like that. 

“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I just need you to know that you may be a ticking time bomb with anger issues-” Shadow cut her off, in no mood to indulge her.

“Are you going somewhere with this ?”

“But you’re also a good friend, a kind person, and a real hero despite the pain you’ve gone through. Never forget that. ”

She started to walk away, ears drooping as she looked down at her tarot cards again.

“I should go. I only ever seem to make things worse.”

“Shadow, say something,” Rouge said, shoving him in front of her.

He really didn’t appreciate Rouge putting him on the spot like that. 

“Would you like to join the team?”

He may have panicked.

It did the trick. Rose wasn’t sad anymore. Instead, She marched right up to him, practically fuming. He instinctively backed away, a little more understanding of Sonic’s tendency to take off when she was anywhere near the vicinity. He wouldn’t wish Rose’s wrath on anyone.

“Are you kidding me? I nearly got myself blown up twice today, caused you to have a major setback, and to top it off, you probably would have been done with this mission ages ago if I hadn’t run in here looking for Sonic. I don’t need your pity, Shadow. If I ever do join your team, I want to earn it,” she said, huffing and puffing after working herself into a frenzy.

Chaos, help him, he found it cute.

“Oh please, we’d be lucky to have you. Admittedly, this wasn’t the best time to bring it up, but-”

This time she was the one that interrupted him, eyes as large as saucers and dangerously watery.

“Y-You mean it?”

His heart twisted and writhed in all sorts of uncomfortable ways at the sight. She deserved so much more than what life had given her so far. 

“Of course, you’re more capable than you give yourself credit for. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the cards brought you exactly where you needed to be.”

Shadow took hold of her hand, and there was a moment where he truly thought she understood what he was getting at, but then, her uncertainty morphed into yet another brilliant smile, and she literally turned her back on him to address his teammates.

“ I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before. I have to stick with you guys if I want to find Sonic. Why else would the cards keep leading me to you? Duh,” she said, slapping her forehead good naturedly. 

“Come on guys, what’s the next mission? I’m all fired up and ready to go,” Rose said, excitedly jumping side to side and swinging her hammer playfully. 

Shadow blanched, more than a little disbelieving. Had he been too subtle? Or had years of chasing the same hedgehog made her oblivious to other options? 

“Hold on, Sweetheart, I think Shadow wants to talk to you, alone,” Rouge said, once again throwing him to the wolves without warning. 

Shadow sighed. Why was she like this? 

“But how will we know if the pink hedgehog says yes?” Omega said, once again proving he knew exactly how to push Shadow’s buttons. 

Luckily, Rose was oblivious as ever.

“Say yes to what? Joining Team Dark? I already said yes, silly.”

“That's right. Come on, you big goof. Let’s give Shadow some privacy for once in his life.”

Okay, maybe, Rouge wasn’t as bad as he was making her out to be. On her way out, she leaned in close and whispered something that immediately made him change his mind.

“Don’t blow this for us.”

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Amy was back to being her bright optimistic self, and he didn’t want to be the person who wiped the smile off her face. It’s not like he could compete with Sonic anyway.

In her mind, he’d always be her hero regardless of what the cards told her.

“I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it.” 

She’d probably never be ready to hear it. He started to make a tactical retreat when she roughly pulled him back.

“Oh come on, Shadow, whatever it is, I promise I’ll listen.”

Shadow made the mistake of looking directly at her. She was a sweet bottle of sunshine, and in a moment of weakness, he dared to hope he could keep that sunshine in his life forever.

“Amy, perhaps, the person you’re actually looking for is . . . me.”

She made a face, and the instant rejection hurt in ways he didn’t know he could hurt. Why on earth did he think there was a remote possibility this would end well?

“What? No, my true love is Sonic. My abilities have just been off for a couple of months. That’s all.”

“I told you that you weren’t ready to hear it.”

The girl had the nerve to shove her finger in his chest as if he was the one who had shown up unannounced and completely upended her plans.

“Hey buster, just because I keep accidentally launching myself at you, doesn’t mean I'm going to change my mind after years of being with Sonic. What kind of girl do you think I am?”

If he’d been feeling less prickly, he would have let the lie sit unexamined and changed the subject. Instead, he immediately corrected her.

“You’re not with Sonic, and this last time wasn’t an accident.”

Amy shied away from him, uncharacteristically self conscious as she rubbed her arms, clearly not expecting him to be so blunt. 

“Well . . . uh, you never seemed to mind, and you’re really warm.”

Blushing like a scandalized maiden, she dramatically sank to the ground, hands on her cheeks.

“Oh no, I’ve strayed.”

This was all too much for Shadow. He’d give anything for this conversation to be over.

“Amy, forget I said anything. I didn’t even want to bring it up. Rouge made me.”

That wasn’t entirely true, but she’d certainly pushed him into this disaster of a conversation, and he had no qualms about pinning the blame for this entirely on her.

“What happened to Rose?”

She was actually pouting, and he couldn’t help but smirk. Maybe, the cards were actually on to something.

“After so many years, It’s a little formal. Don’t you think? ” 

He’d never once in his life thought that. Even so, the comment had the desired effect. She grabbed hold of his hand and puffed up her cheeks, playing up her childishness to get her way.

“But I liked it.”

Emboldened, he decided to take things a step further, hoping beyond hope she wouldn’t realize he was totally bluffing.

“And, maybe, it’s time you stopped knocking me to the ground all the time.”

“But it’s fun,” she said, stopping her foot.

He chuckled. Amy’s eyes widened as she realized that she’d revealed more than she’d meant to. 

“Kind of sounds like your sweet on me.”

She turned red as a tomato and hastily let go of his hand, refusing to look at him.

“I’m not.”

“Prove it, do another reading,” he said, pushing his luck. He’d never gotten this reaction from her before, and he couldn’t in good conscience say he wasn’t enjoying every minute of it.

“T-That’s not fair. My powers aren’t working.”

“They are. You just won’t accept it.”

Her lip started to quiver, and she was moments away from bursting into tears. Oh no, he didn’t want this. Shadow put his hands on her shoulders, losing what little good humor her presence had brought him. 

“Rose, what’s wrong? Am I really so terrible that the very thought of being with me fills you with despair?”

She immediately shook her head and stubbornly wiped away her tears.

“No, of course not, it’s just-”

She let out a shaky breath.

“Shadow, I’ve spent years of my life chasing after Sonic. The cards told me he was the love of my life. Why would it suddenly change now? Why would fate be so cruel?”

Her ears drooped again as she held up a very special tarot card, one of her favorites, The Fool. It was easy enough to discern who she was thinking of at the moment. He idly wondered which card if any she associated with him. 

“Do I -Do I not deserve him anymore?”

That broke something in him. There wasn’t anything in the world this girl wasn’t worthy of. If anything, he lost a little respect for Sonic everytime he denied this perfect angel anything. 

“Maybe, he’s the one that doesn’t deserve you.”

He knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words left his lips, but he couldn’t help himself. There was only so long he could see her suffer before he felt compelled to do something about it. Even so, he wasn’t surprised when the pink hedgehog immediately came to Sonic’s defense. 

“Shadow! Sonic may have his faults, but he’s my hero. Don’t talk about him like he’s some second rate villain in a romance novel.”

Shadow sighed. Perhaps, he was more invested in her love life than he really should be. Then again, he was really starting to think that she might grow to care for him just as much as the ideal unattainable love that she’d held onto for so long. He was real. He was there. And for once, he would tell her exactly what was on his mind. 

“That was uncalled for. I apologize. What I’m trying to say is that it's possible that the cards are leading you in a new direction, a better direction.”

He stopped suddenly when he noticed how miserable she looked. Shadow didn’t want to win on a technicality. Besides, who was he to deny an angel anything? 

“Then again, I’m pretty biased, and if your goal is to find Sonic, last I heard, he was somewhere in Spagonia. Apparently, he was feeling a little nostalgic,” he admitted, knowing full well that she wouldn’t stick around now that she had what she was after.

“Thank you, Shadow, I know I said I’d join the team but-”

“Relax Rose, the offer is always open if you change your mind.”

There was a double meaning to his words, and she caught on pretty quickly this time. She sashayed past him, looking him over in an admiring way that he wasn’t used to.

“If I do, I know where to find you.”

It was a small concession but a concession nonetheless.

She took off towards Green Hill Zone to find Tails and hitch a ride. Shadow watched her go, wishing he was bold enough to chase after her. He didn’t think she’d appreciate it at this juncture. Rouge and Omega came in from the hallway where they’d been spying on him. 

“Well, that could have gone worse,” Rouge said, not at all pleased that he’d blown it as she’d so colorfully put it.

At least, Rose was happy. That’s all that really mattered to him. Besides, he owed her one after nearly blowing her up twice today and giving her an existential crisis. 

“Next time, stay out of my business, Rouge,” he said, casually planting some back up explosives to finally rid themselves of this damn building.

He was feeling a lot less explosive after chatting with Rose. 

“Hey, without me, she wouldn’t even know you were interested,” Rouge said, crossing her arms and sticking her nose up at him as if she really had done him a favor. 

And, in her own way, she had. Never in a million years would he have guessed Rose’s affections for him might extend past a simple friendship. He smiled, secretly thankful for his pushy well meaning friends. 

“I suppose you're right,” he admitted, setting up a second explosive near the exit. 

Rouge looked genuinely surprised for a moment, but immediately composed herself, slipping into her usual over the top suave spy persona.

“Course I am, I’m right about everything,” she said, taking off into the air to avoid the explosion that was coming. 

He scoffed, quickly planting the remaining explosives so they could get out of here. The commander would definitely comment on their tardiness, but at this point he was just doing damage control.

Not that he’d minded the interruption, it had been enlightening to say the least. 

“We should plot our next move. I’m thinking, sabotage.”

The fact that Omega cared enough to offer meant a lot to him, but he wasn’t about to encourage him to actually blast Sonic out of existence. Shadow was already ashamed that he’d nearly killed him twice now. 

“There will be no plotting, no scheming, and definitely, no sabotage. I mean it you two.” 

Rouge rolled her eyes, barely acknowledging the explosion happening behind them as they headed back to headquarters. You’d seen one explosion. You’d seen them all. 

“We don’t need to do any of that anyway. The seed’s been planted. She’ll be back,” Rouge said, waving her hand dismissively.

He trusted Rouge’s judgment when it came to these kinds of things, but he still found himself confused. He furrowed his brows, deciding to ask against his better judgement.

“What are you talking about?”

“Apparently, Fate’s put her money on you, lover boy,” she teased, wisely flying out of his attack range. 

“Never call me that again,” he said, keeping his face neutral. 

If she knew she could get a rise out of him this way, the nickname would stick. 

“Oh, is Rose the only one that gets a nickname then?” Rouge asked with a smirk. 

The snarl was nearly involuntary. 

“Rouge, I will literally blow a fuse if you don’t stop right now,” he warned as Chaos Energy started pooling into his stomach. 

She didn’t take him seriously at all and confidently landed on Omega’s shoulder. That was never a good sign. 

“Hit it Omega, just like I taught you.” 

“Shadow and Rosy sitting in a military sanctioned vehicle K-I-S-S-I-N-G-”

Shadow didn’t let him finish. As much as he loved his friends, he needed to get far, far away from them ASAP. 

“That’s it. After this mission, I’m going straight to HR and using my vacation days.”


End file.
